Reflections Ep6 - Lois Vars

Reflections
Life Stories, Told by the People of Westerly, Rhode Island
A project of the Westerly Historical Society

Generously sponsored by Chelsea Groton Bank, Rhode Island Foundation, and Westerly Community Credit Union

Learn more: https://westerlyhistoricalsociety.org/refl...

This oral history video is Episode 6, featuring the life story of Lois Vars.

In the first part of the nineteenth century downtown Westerly was a busy place. People came from all over to shop in the many different retail stores that existed then including Sears Roebuck Co., McLelland’s 5 cent to $1 Store, and Montgomery Ward & Co. Department Store. Two of the most popular businesses were Mc Cormacks Department Store and the Vars Brothers Pharmacy.

Westerly Historical Society Vice President Zach Garceau wrote in A Tour of Downtown Westerly, Part 1, https://seewesterly.com/a-tour-of-downtown...

“Just beyond the bank is perhaps the most well-known local spot, Vars Brothers Druggist and Stationers. Vars, which bills itself as ‘the drug store with more’ has been operating at this very spot for more than forty years. Another of their famous taglines, ‘Meet me at Vars’ is rather appropriate, as the store ‘s lunch counter has been described by locals as ‘bustling’ and is the perfect place to stop by for a toasted egg sandwich and a Cherry Coke. In addition to their popular food service, Vars also sold typical pharmacy fare including” medicines, photographic supplies, toilet goods and even typewriter rentals.”

The decline of the drug store lunch counter and soda fountains began with the introduction of the self-service drug stores and fast-food drive-through restaurants. In stead of people coming to the downtown and walking people drove to malls built outside of the downtowns. With the coming of the big box store downtowns across the country including Westerly’s began to decline. Vars Brothers Pharmacy closed in 1974. Lois Vars, last of the Vars’ pharmacist tells the story of her life and the history of the Vars Brothers.

In 2022 Lois Vars was inducted into the College of Pharmacy at the University of Rhode Island Hall of Fame, one of only 8 people and 3 women so honored.